Proof of Strength
by Court Cat
Summary: Spoilers for GK2. Sebastian thought he was finally free from his father, but his past continues to haunt him. A secret he has hidden all of his life has been tearing him up from inside. Franziska tries to cheer him up, but soon ends up needing comfort herself. One-shot.


Sebastian had a secret.

No one knew what it was but him. After all, that's what makes a secret a secret. And yet, this secret of his followed him wherever he went, a reminder of his failures and the father he had once idolized.

Ever since his father had been found guilty of murder, Sebastian had worked hard to become a prosecutor worthy of his badge, a symbol of strength. He studied as much as possible, learning and growing. Still, he was weak. He wasn't smart like Mr. Edgeworth, strong like Ms. Von Karma, brave like Kay Faraday, or cunning like Judge Courtney. Even Detective Gumshoe, the fool of the police department, was greater than him in many ways. But Sebastian was fine with that.

All of the people around him were better than Sebastian somehow, whether physically or mentally. In the past, he had been the one people looked up to, or so he had thought. But now that he knew all of the admiration he received was a lie, Sebastian had changed roles completely. He was the one who had faults, and fixing those faults would require a lot of hard work. But once again, Sebastian was weak, and the only way for him to change himself would be with help from others.

It was because of this desire to improve himself that Sebastian started working alongside Ms. Von Karma. She considered him a nuisance at first, but she eventually softened up to him, though she would never admit it. Together, the two of them worked to put criminals behind bars, always finding the truth with the help of defense attorneys and detectives.

Sebastian may not have been as skilled as his coworkers, but he was surrounded by friends, people he trusted. Sometimes he thought that maybe, now that his father was gone, that he could tell these people his secret. But whenever he was about to, at the last moment, something always stopped him, whether it be the fear of ridicule from his supposed "friends" or the lingering shadow of his father that still loomed over him. Sebastian wanted to let someone know what he felt, but he was afraid of being rejected and treated like trash, just he had been his whole life.

One day, however, his secret got out.

* * *

Sebastian and Franziska had just completed a trial together. Franziska was in a touchy mood, as the defendant had been found to be innocent. She wasn't reacting as badly as she would have in the past, but she was still upset about "losing", as she put it. Sebastian, however, was happy that the true culprit had been found and arrested. He had been working with Franziska long enough to know that she didn't feel the same way, but he thought that maybe he could cheer her up and show her that proving the defendant's guilt wasn't the only thing that was important when it came to being a prosecutor.

As it turned out, he was very wrong.

When Sebastian told Franziska his perspective on what it truly meant for a prosecutor to be victorious, she scoffed at him. "You're still just a foolish amateur," she said. "It isn't a victory unless I consider it to be a victory, and to me, winning means perfectly destroying the defense's argument. Finding the culprit is just an effect of that."

"But Mr. Edgeworth told me that finding the truth is what matters the most," Sebastian said. "Both of you are amazing prosecutors, so why are your beliefs so different?"

"We may both be prosecutors, but we have very different ways of thinking. He is foolish enough to think that the truth is the most important thing in the world, yet uncovering the truth often ends up hurting people. I would rather leave the truth buried and just punish the guilty, and I always know who is guilty because I am perfect."

For a moment, Sebastian was silent. Then he spoke up, saying arguably the dumbest thing he had ever said to someone. "Is that actually what you think, or is that what your father thinks?"

He realized right after he said it that it was a tactless remark. Sebastian had spent his whole life feeling like his father was controlling him. Everything he did, he did for his father, all because he wanted his praise. But in the end, Sebastian's father turned out to be nothing more than a despicable murderer, much like the people he put behind bars. Sebastian's father, the great prosecutor Blaise Debeste, symbol of the courts and P.I.C., had gone from a man deserving of the utmost respect to absolute contempt. The man Sebastian had loved and aspired to be like had turned out to be the greatest disappointment of all in his whole sad life.

Although she would never admit it, Franziska probably felt the same way as Sebastian. Her father whom she loved and admired had set expectations for her, and even after he died in prison she was still living to make him happy. It wasn't until recently that both of them started to question whether or not they wished to be like their fathers.

The two of them were struggling to decide what they wanted to do with their life, and it was very tough emotionally. Sebastian should have known better than to bring up Franziska's father. He wanted to apologize, to tell her to forget what he said, but it was too late.

Franziska glared at Sebastian. "Regardless of what you may think, I am not some little girl chasing after my papa. I am capable of making my own decisions."

"Sorry, it's just that..." Sebastian hesitated. He should have shut up then, but he was persistent to the point of idiocy. "I think that you don't want to be perfect. Even though you won't admit it, you're happy as long as you can find who's guilty and who's innocent. You just act like you're perfect because it's what your father wanted."

"Hmph. Here I thought you had grown, and yet I see you are the same foolish fool as when we first met. You're completely wrong."

Sebastian didn't let her insults bother him. "You don't have to be like your father if you don't want to. It's your life."

"How many times must I tell you?" Franziska said, frustrated. "All I care about is perfection. You're just a naïve child, so don't try to tell me what to do."

"I'm not a child," Sebastian said. "I may have been an idiot, but I'm not anymore."

"Don't get a big head. There's still a lot you don't understand. You didn't even realize that your own father—" She paused, realizing what she was saying. "I'm... sorry."

"It's fine," Sebastian mumbled, though his fists were clenched in anger. "I was the one who started this argument."

Franziska looked like she wanted to say more, but her pride stopped her. She suddenly noticed something. "What's that on your hand?"

"Huh?" Sebastian started. He hadn't realized that when he balled his fists, his gloves had shifted slightly, revealing just a small part of his hand. "I-it's nothing! Um... You're imagining things, y-yeah..."

"You are a terrible liar," Franziska said. "Now, show me your hands!"

Sebastian sighed. He knew he didn't have a choice. He removed his gloves and closed his eyes.

He didn't look, but he could hear Franziska's sharp intake of breath. He could tell she was staring at him with pity. This was the kind of he thing he wanted to avoid.

"So... You know my secret," Sebastian said, still too ashamed to meet Franziska's eyes. "I really didn't want anyone to know."

Franziska was still staring at his hands in shock. "Are those...?"

"They're burns," Sebastian said. "Sometimes Pops would get mad, and, well, he would take it out on me."

She didn't know what to say to that. A simple "I'm sorry", wouldn't really be enough. And yet, all she could muster to say was, "I'm sorry."

"Thanks. That's nice of you to say."

Sebastian couldn't know how much that statement bothered Franziska. She didn't know how to be "nice". She was raised to be superior to all others. It didn't matter what she said to them because they might as well have been bugs. But now that her father was gone, she was trying to be kind, and yet, in moments when kindness was important, like the situation before her now, she couldn't bring herself to show her care.

"Um, so..." Sebastian said, snapping Franziska out of her thoughts. "Would you mind not telling anyone about this?"

"If you would prefer that I didn't, then I will not. But may I ask why you want to hide it?"

"It's just that... These burns on my hands are a reminder of my failures. They're proof that I'm useless and weak."

"Don't be ridiculous," Franziska snapped. "You are _not_ useless. You were vital to proving Blaise's guilt, and you've helped me a lot as well."

"All I did was dig through garbage," Sebastian said glumly. "You and Mr. Edgeworth are the heroes."

"You think I'm a hero? I've done many bad things, Sebastian," Franziska said. "I've destroyed innocent people's lives because of my desire for perfection. I've hurt those around me, physically and emotionally. I've tried to get revenge against people who did nothing wrong, simply because I was too prideful to admit my faults. And yet you would call me a hero?"

"You did all of those things in the past," Sebastian said. "You've improved, and you're a better person now."

He was quiet for a moment, then realized what he had said. Franziska picked up on it as well.

"You noticed, didn't you?" she said, smiling. "You contradicted yourself. You said I was a hero because I made up for my past mistakes by working to become a better person. And yet, you have done the same as well. You've grown more than you realize, and even if you aren't where you want to be yet, you are on your way there.

"And that is why you shouldn't be afraid to show people those burns on your hands. They are scars that will never fade, but rather than hiding them, you should embrace them. They are a mark of who you used to be and how far you've come from then. Look at them with confidence, for they are proof of your strength!"

Sebastian stared at her in shocked silence. After a while, his eyes began to well up with tears. "T-thanks, Ms. Von Karma," he said. "That makes me feel a lot better, though... I'm not sure I'm ready to tell other people."

"That's fine," Franziska said. "It's your decision, after all."

"Thanks."

"Stop thanking me. I've done nothing but tell you the obvious."

"But I really appreciate you trying to make me feel better, especially since you're not good with this type of thing."

Franziska glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"Oops, uh, sorry," Sebastian said sheepishly. "I say a lot of dumb things."

"Hmph. Well, what you said wasn't incorrect," Franziska muttered. "Sensitivity is not my strong suit."

"Give yourself some credit. You managed to cheer me up, at least."

"Fool. I wasn't trying to cheer you up. I was just proving you wrong."

Sebastian chuckled. "Tell that to yourself all you want, Ms. Von Karma, but I know what you're really thinking. You really aren't a bad person, you know?"

"You're deluding yourself. Though I suppose I should say thank you. So... Thank you."

"No need to thank me," Sebastian said, grinning. "I've done nothing but tell you the obvious."

Franziska raised an eyebrow at him. He was a strange boy, but then again, abnormality was what made life so interesting.

She began to laugh. Sebastian looked at her, confused, but he joined in. Eventually, the two of them were chuckling loudly, unable to stop themselves. Once upon a time, they would have been afraid to be so open about their joy, but not anymore. They had both left their fathers behind and were moving to create their own stories, ones that would definitely result in the happy endings they deserved.

* * *

Sebastian had a secret.

No one knew what it was but him and a girl who, despite her bold exterior, was just as frightened to be on her own as he was. Since he wasn't the only person who knew what this secret was, it wasn't a real secret. Anyone could learn what it was at any moment.

But that was okay. Because this secret that would always follow him was not a reminder of his failures, but of his successes. He would use this reminder to keep getting better, until he didn't need to rely on his friends. Instead, they would be able to rely on him, no matter how difficult the situation.

He was used to looking to others for help, but now he had a friend who looked to him with respect, the kind you would see between two equals. Sebastian knew he weak compared to everyone else, but as long as there was one person in the world who understood him, and he understood back, he was happy.

After seventeen years of being misunderstood, of being alone despite being surrounded by people, he had met this person. She was a woman struggling to find herself, but she didn't let anyone know this. Even so, she didn't have to say anything for Sebastian to know what she was thinking, and vice versa. They were two completely different people, united by the same fears and the same desire for improvement.

It was this knowledge of the existence of a person who was just like him yet his polar opposite that made Sebastian ready to face the world and say, "I've made mistakes more times than I can count. I've been prideful to the point where I couldn't see the truth. I've put other people down to raise myself up. And yet, despite all that, I'm going to be a hero."


End file.
